Flaxseed Pudding

This easy and quick flaxseed pudding is so delicious and amazingly healthy. Shockingly packed with omega-3, fiber and plant-based protein, it is perfect served with layers of fruit or to garnish oatmeals and smoothie bowls. Makes for a tasty breakfast, snack or dessert.

Looking for a change from chia seed pudding? Try flaxseed pudding!

You might be making flaxseed gel to use in vegan baking (replaces the eggs), but holy moly, try serving it as a sweet pudding and you will be up for a delicious discovery.

Ridiculously quick and easy to make, only requires 4 simple ingredients, great for meal-prep, fun unique texture, super tasty, highly customizable... such an amazingly simple and delicious dessert recipe.

But there is more: flaxseed pudding is SO healthy! These tiny seeds provide a heaping dose of healthy fats, lots of fiber and even some plant-based protein. Also very rich in lignans, a well-known compound with some anti-cancer properties.

Flaxseeds also have a naturally pleasant taste with a strong nutty flavor and even some sweet notes. This pudding also features vanilla extract, a little sweetener and is made using plant-based milk for a nice creamy and rich texture. Makes for a healthy and filling breakfast, snack or even dessert.

Hope you give it a try 🙂

Chia seed pudding vs flaxseed pudding

Both chia and flaxseeds absorb liquids to form a pudding-like consistency without requiring any cooking or additives (no gelatin needed). It all happens with a little resting time!

Both kind of puddings also are similar in nutrition (although flaxseeds contain more protein than chia seeds!) and texture, although you get more of a tapioca-like consistency when using chia seeds vs smooth when using flaxseeds (the seeds have to be ground first, which gives a more uniform result).

BUT, compared to chia seeds, flaxseeds are MUCH cheaper and also more accessible. Ground flaxseeds can easily be found in grocery stores or you can simply grind the whole seeds yourself, it is so easy!

Why you'll love this recipe

• Delicious way to eat more plant-based omega-3.
• Great for meal-prep and perfect for breakfasts on-the-go.
• Kids love it and great for toddlers/babies.
• Dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, gluten-free, gelatin-free.
• Made without refined white sugar.
• Ultra rich in fiber!
• Less expensive compared to chia seed pudding.
• Easy to customize and can be flavored many different ways.

Ingredients you'll need

• Ground flaxseeds: you will need ground flax opposed to whole seeds (easy to find in most grocery stores).
• Plant-based milk: use any kind, but avoid milk with any added sugar so you can sweeten the pudding to your taste.
• Vanilla extract: important I think for an amazing flavor and to enhance sweetness.
• Sweetener: use your favorite, but I love how maple syrup flavors the pudding.

Ground flax vs Flax meal vs Whole seeds

It can be a little confusing to know which kind of seeds to use, but it's pretty simple: do NOT use whole seeds. This is important for 2 reasons:

1. Whole flaxseeds won't turn into a pudding consistency as much compared to ground seeds.
2. Whole seeds are protected by their insoluble fiber shells and the digestive system cannot break it (it just passes through the gut). Using whole seeds would prevent you from enjoying all of their amazing health benefits!

You might see brown or golden seeds at the store, they both will give you about the same result and they are equally nutritious. Although, the golden seeds are a little milder in taste.

You will need to use crushed or ground flaxseeds when making this pudding. Ground flax and flax meal are the same thing. They are both milled seeds into a powder/flour consistency. You can buy flax meal in most grocery stores (such as this ground flaxseed from Bob's Red Mill).

If you only have whole flaxseeds, then do like me and simply grind them yourself, it is so easy and quick! To do it, grind the seeds using a food processor, coffee grinder or a blender. You will need to scrape the walls and bottom a few times (stop every 15 seconds or so) to ensure all the seeds are well crushed. It should only take 1-2 minutes to do and stop whenever it is all powdery so you don't over warm the seeds or turn them into oil. I recommend to grind more than you need and use the extra to make flax eggs for baking, sprinkle over oatmeals or to make puddings!

How to make flaxseed pudding

Grind the seeds

Or use already ground seeds (see above). I recommend to batch grind seeds so you don't have to do that every time you want to make a pudding.

Combine

In a bowl, simply combine the ground flax, plant-based milk, vanilla extract and sweetener. You can start with just a little sweetener and add more as you taste. Whisk well to incorporate all the seeds into the milk (ground flax easily clumps).

Rest and serve

Right after you stir, the consistency will be pretty liquid-y. As it rests, the texture will turn into a pudding. This can take about 30-60 minutes, or even quicker. Adjust consistency once done resting by adding more milk if needed. You can let it set overnight as well.

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Watch how to make it

Variation to the recipe

Here are a few ways you can customize this recipe:

• Chocolate flax pudding: add some raw cacao powder to your pudding (about 1-2 tablespoons)! This will also add some more bitterness too, so you will need to adjust how much sweetener you need to add. Serve with chocolate chips too!
• Tropical flax pudding: similar to this pineapple chia parfait, you can make the pudding using canned coconut milk instead of plant-based milk and layer with chopped pineapple and shredded coconut whenever you serve it.
• No-added sweetener pudding: simply omit the maple syrup and once ready to eat, mash ½ banana and incorporate into the pudding to naturally sweeten it. Softened (in boiling water for 10 min) and mashed/blended medjool dates would work great too.
• Spices: add some cinnamon, pumpkin spice mix, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.

Serving suggestions

There are many ways you can serve this pudding! One of my favorite way is by layering with a berry chia jam and more berries, like seen in the pictures. But also, top or layer with:

• Nuts or seeds
• Nut butter or pumpkin seed butter for a nut-free option
• Vegan yogurt
• Fresh fruits, such as mango, pineapple, bananas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.
• Vanilla granola
• Superfood turmeric granola
• Vegan chocolate chips
• Sea salt
• Coconut whipped cream

You can also make a large batch of this pudding and use to garnish your oatmeals, smoothie bowls or other pudding-like dessert.

FAQs

More pudding recipes you might like!

• Avocado chocolate pudding
• Coconut chia seed parfait
• Vegan raspberry pudding

I hope you like this flaxseed pudding as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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